JEE Main Chemistry Syllabus for 2026 and 2027 – Chemistry is a very crucial subject for JEE Main and is also a very scoring subject. All students appearing in JEE Main exam should prepare the complete JEE Main Chemistry syllabus. Chemistry is one of the subjects where students can score more marks in less time.
This NTA prescribed JEE Main Chemistry syllabus will apply to all JEE Main attempts i.e. January and April 2026 and 2027 attempts.
JEE Main Syllabus of Chemistry – Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
JEE Main Chemistry Syllabus consists of three sections with a total of 20 units. The syllabus for JEE Main Chemistry is based on the Class 11th and Class 12th board syllabus. The Chemistry section for JEE Main will assess you on the theory-based questions. These questions can be answered quickly and with higher accuracy. The JEE Chemistry portion is divided into three sections. These sections are namely – Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry.
Physical Chemistry for Section A
JEE Main Physical Chemistry Syllabus – The Physical Chemistry section contains all the topics you need to study for scoring well in questions based on Physical Chemistry in JEE Main. The section consists of ten units.
Below is the syllabus for the Physical Chemistry section of the JEE Main 2026 and 2027 exams.
UNIT 1: Some Basic Concepts in Chemistry
Matter and its nature, Dalton’s atomic theory; Concept of atom, molecule, element and compound; Laws of chemical combination; atomic and molecular masses, mole concept, molar mass, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formulae; chemical equations and stoichiometry.
UNIT 2: Atomic Structure
Nature of electromagnetic radiation, photoelectric effect; spectrum of hydrogen atom, Bohr model of hydrogen atom – its postulates, derivation of the relations for energy of the electron and radii of the different orbits, limitations of Bohr’s model; dual nature of matter, de-Broglie’s relationship, Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Elementary ideas of quantum mechanics, quantum mechanical model of atom, its important features. Concept of atomic orbitals as one electron wave functions; Variation of Ψ and Ψ2 with r for 1s and 2s orbitals; various quantum numbers (principal, angular momentum and magnetic quantum numbers) and their significance; shapes of s, p and d – orbitals, electron spin and spin quantum number; rules for filling electrons in orbitals – Aufbau principle, Pauli’s exclusion principle and Hund’s rule, electronic configuration of elements, extra stability of half-filled and completely filled orbitals.
UNIT 3: Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure
Kossel – Lewis approach to chemical bond formation, concept of ionic and covalent bonds.
Ionic Bonding: Formation of ionic bonds, factors affecting the formation of ionic bonds; calculation of lattice enthalpy.
Covalent Bonding: Concept of electronegativity, Fajan’s rule, dipole moment; valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory and shapes of simple molecules.
Quantum mechanical approach to covalent bonding: Valence bond theory – Its important features, concept of hybridization involving s, p and d orbitals; Resonance.
Molecular Orbital Theory: Its important features, LCAOs, types of molecular orbitals (bonding, antibonding), sigma and pi-bonds, molecular orbital electronic configurations of homonuclear diatomic molecules, concept of bond order, bond length and bond energy.
Elementary idea of metallic bonding. Hydrogen bonding and its applications.
UNIT 4: Chemical Thermodynamics
Fundamentals of thermodynamics – System and surroundings, extensive and intensive properties, state functions, types of processes.
First law of thermodynamics – Concept of work, heat internal energy and enthalpy, heat capacity, molar heat capacity; Hess’s law of constant heat summation; enthalpies of bond dissociation, combustion, formation, atomization, sublimation, phase transition, hydration, ionization and solution.
Second law of thermodynamics – Spontaneity of processes; ΔS of the universe and ΔG of the system as criteria for spontaneity, ΔG° (Standard Gibbs energy change) and equilibrium constant.
UNIT 5: Solutions
Different methods for expressing concentration of solution – molality, molarity, mole fraction, percentage (by volume and mass both), vapour pressure of solutions and Raoult’s Law – Ideal and non-ideal solutions, vapour pressure – composition, plots for ideal and non-ideal solutions; colligative properties of dilute solutions – relative lowering of vapour pressure, depression of freezing point, elevation of boiling point and osmotic pressure; determination of molecular mass using colligative properties; abnormal value of molar mass, van’t Hoff factor and its significance.
UNIT 6: Equilibrium
Meaning of equilibrium, concept of dynamic equilibrium.
Equilibria involving physical processes: Solid -liquid, liquid – gas and solid – gas equilibria, Henry’s law, general characteristics of equilibrium involving physical processes.
Equilibria involving chemical processes: Law of chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constants (Kp and Kc) and their significance, significance of ΔG and ΔG° in chemical equilibrium, factors affecting equilibrium concentration, pressure, temperature, effect of catalyst; Le Chatelier’s principle.
Ionic equilibrium: Weak and strong electrolytes, ionization of electrolytes, various concepts of acids and bases (Arrhenius, Bronsted – Lowry and Lewis) and their ionization, acid – base equilibria (including multistage ionization) and ionization constants, ionization of water, pH scale, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts and pH of their solutions, solubility of sparingly soluble salts and solubility products, buffer solutions.
UNIT 7: Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry
Electronic concepts of oxidation and reduction, redox reactions, oxidation number, rules for assigning oxidation number, balancing of redox reactions.
Electrolytic and metallic conduction, conductance in electrolytic solutions, molar conductivities and their variation with concentration: Kohlrausch’s law and its applications.
Electrochemical cells – Electrolytic and Galvanic cells, different types of electrodes, electrode potentials including standard electrode potential, half – cell and cell reactions, emf of a Galvanic cell and its measurement; Nernst equation and its applications; relationship between cell potential and Gibbs’ energy change; dry cell and lead accumulator; fuel cells.
UNIT 8: Chemical Kinetics
Rate of a chemical reaction, factors affecting the rate of reactions: concentration, temperature, pressure and catalyst; elementary and complex reactions, order and molecularity of reactions, rate law, rate constant and its units, differential and integral forms of zero and first order reactions, their characteristics and half – lives, effect of temperature on rate of reactions – Arrhenius theory, activation energy and its calculation, collision theory of bimolecular gaseous reactions (no derivation).
Chemistry for Inorganic Section B
JEE Main Inorganic Chemistry Syllabus – Inorganic Chemistry section of the syllabus will focus on the topics for study of chemical elements and compounds except for the organic compounds.
The syllabus for Organic Chemistry for JEE Main contains eight topics. Below is the Inorganic chemistry syllabus for JEE Main in detail:
UNIT 9: Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties
Modem periodic law and present form of the periodic table, s, p, d and f block elements: periodic trends in properties of elements atomic and ionic radii, ionization enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy, valence, oxidation states and chemical reactivity.
UNIT 10: P – Block Elements
Group – 13 to Group 18 Elements
General Introduction: electronic configuration and general trends in physical and chemical properties of elements across the periods and down the groups; unique behaviour of the first element in each group.
UNIT 11: d – and f – Block Elements
Transition Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence and characteristics, general trends in properties of the first row transition elements – physical properties, ionization enthalpy, oxidation states, atomic radii, colour, catalytic behaviour, magnetic properties, complex formation, interstitial compounds, alloy formation; preparation, properties and uses of K2Cr2O7 and KMnO4.
Inner Transition Elements:
Lanthanoids – Electronic configuration, oxidation states and lanthanoid contraction.
Actinoids – Electronic configuration and oxidation states.
UNIT 12: Co-ordination Compounds
Introduction to co-ordination compounds, Werner’s theory; ligands, coordination number, denticity, chelation; IUPAC nomenclature of mononuclear co-ordination compounds, isomerism; bonding-valence bond approach and basic ideas of crystal field theory, colour and magnetic properties; importance of co-ordination compounds (in qualitative analysis, extraction of metals and in biological systems).
Organic Chemistry for Section C
JEE Main Organic Chemistry Syllabus – Organic Chemistry section is divided into 10 topics. These topics for JEE Main will cover the entire Organic Chemistry syllabus. Each of the topic for organic chemistry is divided into sub-topics that you will need to prepare for JEE Main exam.
Below is the detailed syllabus for JEE Main Organic Chemistry section:
UNIT 13: Purification and Characterisation of Organic Compounds
Purification – Crystallization, sublimation, distillation, differential extraction and chromatography principles and their applications.
Qualitative analysis – Detection of nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and halogens.
Quantitative analysis (basic principles only) – Estimation of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, halogens, sulphur, phosphorus.
Calculations of empirical formulae and molecular formulae; numerical problems in organic quantitative analysis.
UNIT 14: Some Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry
Tetravalency of carbon; Shapes of simple molecules – hybridization (s and p); classification of organic compounds based on functional groups: and those containing halogens, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur; homologous series; isomerism – structural and stereoisomerism.
Nomenclature (Trivial and IUPAC)
Covalent bond fission – Homolytic and heterolytic: free radicals, carbocations and carbanions; stability of carbocations and free radicals, electrophiles and nucleophiles.
Electronic displacement in a covalent bond – Inductive effect, electromeric effect, resonance and hyperconjugation.
Common types of organic reactions – Substitution, addition, elimination and rearrangement.
UNIT 15: Hydrocarbons
Classification, isomerism, IUPAC nomenclature, general methods of preparation, properties and reactions.
- Alkanes – Conformations: sawhorse and newman projections (of ethane); mechanism of halogenation of alkanes.
- Alkenes – Geometrical isomerism; mechanism of electrophilic addition: addition of hydrogen, halogens, water, hydrogen halides (Markownikoff’s and peroxide effect); Ozonolysis and polymerization.
- Alkynes – Acidic character; addition of hydrogen, halogens, water and hydrogen halides; polymerization.
- Aromatic hydrocarbons – Nomenclature, benzene – structure and aromaticity; mechanism of electrophilic substitution: halogenation, nitration, Friedel – Craft’s alkylation and acylation, directive influence of functional group in monosubstituted benzene.
UNIT 16: Organic Compounds Containing Halogens
General methods of preparation, properties and reactions; nature of C-X bond; mechanisms of substitution reactions.
Uses; environmental effects of chloroform, iodoform, freons and DDT.
UNIT 17: Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen
- General methods of preparation, properties, reactions and uses.
- ALCOHOLS, PHENOLS AND ETHERS
- Alcohols: Identification of primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols; mechanism of dehydration.
- Phenols: Acidic nature, electrophilic substitution reactions: halogenation, nitration and sulphonation, reimer – tiemann reaction.
- Ethers: Structure.
- Aldehyde and Ketones: Nature of carbonyl group; nucleophilic addition to >C=O group, relative reactivities of aldehydes and ketones; important reactions such as – Nucleophilic addition reactions (addition of HCN, NH3 and its derivatives), grignard reagent; oxidation; reduction (Wolff Kishner and Clemmensen); acidity of α-hydrogen, aldol condensation, cannizzaro reaction, Haloform reaction; Chemical tests to distinguish between aldehydes and Ketones.
- CARBOXYLIC ACIDS: Acidic strength and factors affecting it.
UNIT 18: Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen
General methods of preparation, properties, reactions and uses.
- Amines: Nomenclature, classification, structure, basic character and identification of primary, secondary and tertiary amines and their basic character.
- Diazonium Salts: Importance in synthetic organic chemistry.
UNIT 19: Biomolecules
General introduction and importance of biomolecules.
- CARBOHYDRATES – Classification: aldoses and ketoses; monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and constituent monosaccharides of oligosaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose)
- PROTEINS – Elementary Idea of α – amino acids, peptide bond, polypeptides; proteins: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure (qualitative idea only), denaturation of proteins, enzymes.
- VITAMINS – Classification and functions.
- NUCLEIC ACIDS – Chemical constitution of DNA and RNA.Biological functions of nucleic acids, Hormones (General Introduction)
UNIT 20: Principles Related to Practical Chemistry
- Detection of extra elements (N,S, halogens) in organic compounds; detection of the following functional groups: hydroxyl (alcoholic and phenolic), carbonyl (aldehyde and ketone), carboxyl and amino groups in organic compounds.
- Chemistry involved in the preparation of the following:
Inorganic compounds: Mohr’s salt, potash alum.
Organic compounds: Acetanilide, p-nitroacetanilide, aniline yellow, iodoform. - Chemistry involved in the titrimetric exercises – Acids bases and the use of indicators, oxalic-acid vs KMnO4, Mohr’s salt vs KMnO4.
- Chemical principles involved in the qualitative salt analysis:
Cations – Pb2+ , Cu2+, AI3+, Fe3+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, NH4+.
Anions- CO 2-3, S2-, SO2-4, NO3–, NO2–, CI –, Br–, I–. (Insoluble salts excluded). - Chemical principles involved in the following experiments:
1. Enthalpy of solution of CuSO4
2. Enthalpy of neutralization of strong acid and strong base.
3. Preparation of lyophilic and lyophobic sols.
4. Kinetic study of reaction of iodide ion with hydrogen peroxide at room temperature.
JEE Main Chemistry Syllabus Analysis as per previous year JEE Main papers
JEE Main Chemistry is one of the easiest sections of the JEE Main exam. If you have a good understanding of the JEE Main Chemistry topics, then you can score good marks in this section. As questions from this subject are theoretical in nature, more number of questions can be attempted in less time.
As per the analysis of the previous year papers, we see that no particular topic carries equal weightage in the previous JEE Main exam papers. However, below is the tentative weightage of the JEE Main Chemistry topics for the 2026 exam.
| Chemistry Chapters | Average number of questions from the chapter | Approximate weightage of the chapter |
| Inorganic Chemistry | 10 | 34% |
| Organic Chemistry | 11 | 35.6% |
| Physical Chemistry | 9 | 30.4% |
We recommend our students to prepare all the topics as per the NTA prescribed JEE Main syllabus. Once you complete the JEE Main Chemistry syllabus, you should start revising the important chemistry topics for JEE Main. Get the complete analysis of JEE Main Chemistry section here.
Read the complete syllabus for JEE Main in links below: